Marley's Ghost

• The narrator introduces Scrooge

  1. The chapter begins lightheartedly as the omniscient narrator humorously discusses the fact that Jacob Marley is dead. Omniscient narrators aren't part of the action but know everything that happens.

  2. However, the chapter becomes less lighthearted when Scrooge, Marley's old business partner, is introduced. He's mean, greedy and "solitary as an oyster". His "shrivelled" looks and "grating voice" match his horrible personality

  3. The cheerful beginning of he novella contrasts with Scrooge's introduction - it makes Scrooge seem even less appealing

  Writer's Techniques - The narrator uses the phrase "Once upon a time" to introduce the main story. Dickens's use of a fairy tale convention suggests that the story will have a magical element to it and that it's likely to have a happy ending
• How does Scrooge treat his clerk Bob Cratchit?

  He is rude and denies him a fire
• What is the atmosphere of Scrooge's office?

  It is dark and cold
• Who arrives to wish Scrooge a Merry Christmas?

  His nephew Fred
• How does Fred's view of Christmas differ from Scrooge's?

  Fred sees it as kind and charitable
• What does Scrooge call those who wish others Merry Christmas?

  He calls them "idiots"
• How does Scrooge react to charity collectors?

  He refuses to donate and insults them
• What does Scrooge's refusal to donate reveal about his character?

  It shows his selfishness and cynicism
• What does Scrooge mean by calling the poor "idle"?

  He believes they are lazy and undeserving
• What term does Scrooge use to describe poor people?

  "Surplus population"
• What theme does Scrooge's character represent?

  Social Responsibility
• How does Scrooge react to a boy singing a Christmas carol?

  He scares the boy away
• How does Scrooge treat Bob when he allows him to spend Christmas Day with his family?

  He is rude and reluctant
• How does Dickens establish Scrooge's character at the start of the book?

  • Scrooge is rude to everyone
  • He is difficult and unpleasant
  • He is portrayed as unsympathetic
  • This sets up his transformation later
• Dickens links Scrooge with the weather

  1. The weather in this chapter is "bleak" and ominous - it seems like nature "was brewing on a large scale". This creates the impression that something big is about to happen

  2. Dickens often links the weather with Scrooge's personality - here it's cold, which reflects the "cold within" Scrooge's heart. It's also foggy, which could symbolise Scrooge's inability to see how ignorant he's being. The weather gets worse during the chapter as more of Scrooge's unpleasant personality is revealed

  3. These bleak conditions suggests that there's something unsettling about Scrooge's behaviour
• Scrooge's house is dreary and dark

  1. Scrooge returns to his rooms, which used to belong to Marley. They're dark, because "darkness is cheap" - they reflect Scrooge's cold and miserly personality

  2. As he's about to enter, Scrooge's door knocker transforms into Marley's face. This is the first glimpse of the supernatural in the novella, and it foreshadows the ghostly visitations that follow

  3. The dramatic tension rises as more strange things start to occur - Scrooge sees Marley's face in the tiles of his fireplace, all the bells in the house start to ring, and he hears the clanking of chains from the cellar

  Foreshadowing is a technique used to hint at something that will happen later in the story
• Marley's ghost comes to haunt Scrooge - KEY EVENT

  1. Marley's ghost appears, wearing a heavy chain of "cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses". These items symbolise how Marley was obsessed with money - just like Scrooge

  2. Marley's obsession with money led to his lack of compassion and care for others. As a result, Marley is "doomed to wander through the world" forever, and he refers to his fate as an "incessant torture"

  3. Marley suggests that Scrooge is worse than him - Scrooge's chain was as heavy as Marley's "seven Christmas Eves ago". Dickens implies that Scrooge might be in for an even more horrible fate than Marley

  4. Scrooge finds out that he'll have one last chance at redemption - he'll be visited by three more ghosts
• Scrooge experiences unfamiliar emotions

  This chapter is the beginning of Scrooge's transformation - he's starting to experience new emotions:

  . The appearance of Marley's face in his door knocker gives Scrooge a "terrible sensation" he hasn't felt since "infancy". He hasn't been this afraid since he was a child

  . When he sees Marley's ghost, he has to make jokes to try to keep "down his terror" - despite being "not much in the habit" of trying to be funny. This emphasises just how frightened he is

  . He begs for some explanation or comfort from Marley's ghost, speaking with "humility and deference". This contrasts with the way he speaks earlier in the chapter

  . He tries to say "humbug" about the warning from Marley, but he can't finish the word - this is a sign that he's already changing and losing his negative outlook on life